NMFS surveys plan to measure fishing’s side benefitsThe National Marine Fisheries Service is gearing up for a big look at the side benefits of fishing. According to notices posted in the Federal Register, NMFS will survey all seafood processors and bait-and-tackle shops in the United States during 2014. Using mail-in surveys, the federal fisheries agency plans to measure the economic impact of fishing businesses. According to the notices, more than 2,500 tackle sto...

Final fun run of 2013The final fun run of 2013 is Tuesday. The Last Chance 5K Fun Run begins at noon on New Year’s Eve day at Kodiak High School. Registration opens at 11:30 a.m. The course starts and finishes in the high school parking lot. In between, runners navigate Near Island. The race fee is $5, with all proceeds going to the Kodiak High School cross country team. Last year, Levi Thomet conquered a field of 28 runners in 16 min...

Garden Gate: Gardener's almanac is a gemA delightful little book called “The Curious Gardener’s Almanac” found its way onto my desk a couple weeks before Christmas, a gift from a dear friend. As I read the paragraph on the inside flap, I knew I’d been given a gem. “A garden is not merely a haven of peace and tranquility, or a simple plot of land for vegetables, fruit, and flowers — it is a living encyclopedia of curious and fascinating knowledge, the ro...

Fish Factor: Fishing notables from 2013Alaska’s seafood industry worked hard again in 2013 to ramp up its message to policymakers, most of whom still overlook the industry’s economic significance to the state and beyond. What is that message? That “the industry” is made up of thousands of small businesses — the fishing boats that each support one or several families. That the seafood companies in coastal towns provide one of the state’s biggest tax bas...

8-year-old donates hair to kids in needHanna Moody may look like your average eight-year-old girl, but to some unknowing child in the world, she’s a hero. Moody made the decision to cut off all her hair in order to donate it to Locks of Love, a nonprofit that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged kids suffering from hair loss. The donations are intended to help their self-esteem and confidence. On Dec. 21, Hanna and her mom Kathy went to Viz...

Alutiiq Word of the Week: Ice SkateKungkiq; Kankiiq - Ice Skate Cuumi kungkirtaallianga unuk nangpiarluku iraluwakan. - Before, I used to ice skate all night sometimes when the moon was out. By December, many of Kodiak’s small ponds frozen strong enough to support ice skaters. Alutiiq Elders recall the joy of skating. As youths, many had homemade ice skates made from evaporated milk cans. Flatten the cans, tie them to your shoes, and away you go, s...

Kodiak sees flu as season spikes in AlaskaThe flu has arrived in Kodiak as influenza season spikes across Alaska. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that flu cases in the state didn’t rise above 20 until the first week of December. In the last few weeks, that number has risen dramatically. According to the Alaska Department of Epidemiology, there have been 177 reports of influenza in December, up from 47 cases in November. Most flu cases go unreporte...

Around Kodiak: Dec. 27The Kodiak Legislative Information Office will hold an open house from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday with Rep. Alan Austerman and Sen. Gary Stevens to hear the concerns of constituents before the 2014 session of the Alaska Legislature. The Kodiak Audubon Society is sponsoring a Christmas Bird Count Saturday. To sign up to participate in the count, contact Rich MacIntosh at 486-3087. Kodiak Volleyball Club is holdi...

Man injured on Shuyak Island medevaced to KodiakThe Coast Guard medevaced a man who slipped and fell on ice on Shuyak Island on Tuesday. According to a release from the Alaska State Troopers, The United States Coast Guard notified Alaska State Troopers of the injured man around 3 p.m. Tuesday. The investigation revealed the 27-year-old man from Alabama had fallen between five to eight feet onto ice at Port Williams on Shuyak Island, located approximately 50 mil...

Public Safety Blotter: Dec. 27Monday, Dec. 23 • At 12:27 a.m., a caller requested public assistance on Mill Bay Road. All was OK. • At 10:55 a.m., a caller reported suspicious circumstances. Officers called to look at the items found. • At 11:04 a.m., an officer stopped to assist a driver on Mill Bay Road. All was OK. • At 12:26 p.m., a caller reported items were stolen from a vehicle. It is under investigation. • At 3:02 p.m., an officer impo...